Thermoplastic composites are high strength material systems which are finding wide spread application in a variety of fields including aero structures, non-aero military structures, such as tanks and armored vehicles, and non-military structures such as automotive components, sporting goods, and industrial and medical devices. Typically, the composites comprise fiber reinforcements embedded in a resin matrix. Fiber reinforcements which have been contacted, e.g., coated and/or impregnated, with a resin are layered and joined to one another to form a composite laminate. Recently, automated lay-up of fiber-reinforced resin composites has replaced hand lay-up as a more economical and efficient method of producing composite laminates. Automated composite lay-up, such as heated head tape placement, filament winding, etc. requires the fiber-reinforced composites to have certain processing characteristics to produce high quality laminates. Additionally, there is an ongoing desire to improve the functional and mechanical properties of the laminates and to tailor these properties to specific applications.